GUTGAA: Meet and Greet

Gearing Up To Get An Agent is an awesome event hosted by Deana Barnhart for aspiring authors. Not only is the most amazing thing for her to do, her blog is complete and utter awesome-sauce. Head on over and check it out by clicking on the badge.

If you're an aspiring author who's looking for a critique partner, or if you're at the querying stage it's not too late to join the hop!

The first part of GUTGAA is an author meet and greet. So first up, hi to anyone reading this! *hugs*

I'm so-far unpublished, love chocolate and my puppies, am getting married in 3 months and study Communication at the University of Newcastle. I don't like long walks on the beach (I don't like to walk, period) and I absolutely adore talking to other published and unpublished authors about their own WIPs.

Below are the questions Deana posed, and if any of you lovely people comment be sure to leave a link to yours :)

-Where do you write? 

Usually in bed. Which is why I have the posture of an eighty-year-old hunchback. 

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?

A bedside table overflowing with a severely red-lined manuscript, two bottles of water, Once by Anna Carey, The Selection by Kiera Cass, Lucy in the Sky (an old favourite) by Paige Toon, a half empty tube of lip gloss, three chewing gum wrappers, a highlighter, two pens, four bobby pins and two hairbands. All piled on top of one another. 

-Favorite time to write?

Usually through the day during the week is best. Everyone is at work so I have no distractions. But sometimes if The Boy is working late, the night time works too.

-Drink of choice while writing?

Drink of choice while doing anything is Riccadonna. But coffee is what keeps me wired.

-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?

Complete and utter silence. I know loads of people like music to set the mood and help with their inspiration but if there is any sound around me at all, nothing comes out. Nothing good anyway. My 'inner voice' just can't sing along.

-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?

I'm rewriting my first attempt at a novel and I started it that long ago that I really can't remember. I'm just going to say some sexy European opened my eyes to the wonders of the world. Or something. 

-What's your most valuable writing tip?

Write what you want. Don't write to the market, or write what you think others will enjoy. Unless you love what you're writing you won't even finish the damn thing, let alone get it published. Of course, I haven't actually been published yet so... yeah.

My author bio is an extremely short one, I'm afraid. I've been writing young adult (mostly fantasy) for five years with the intent to be published and in that time I've shelved more manuscripts and ideas than I want to remember. I've worked with quite a few critique partners which I've always enjoyed and by now, my skin is so thick I get confused with a turtle. I've made the mistake of querying too early, not blogging soon enough, and talking with my mouth full. My journey so far has given me so much experience and growth; I just can't wait to see what the next five bring.